Sledge Hardware closing after nearly 100 years in Greensboro

Whitelaw Bailey checks a price for his wife Ann Sledge Bailey during their going-out-of-business sale on May 1 in Greensboro. The hardware store will be closing it's doors for good on June 1. The store was opened in 1915 by Garland Sledge and is currently owned by his great-niece Anne Sledge Bailey and her husband Whitelaw Bailey.

Robert Sutton | Tuscaloosa News

By Patrick RupinskiBusiness Editor

Published: Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 11:21 p.m.

After almost a century, Sledge Hardware in downtown Greensboro is going out of business.

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Anne Sledge Bailey, who owns the business with her husband Whitelaw Bailey, said the store founded by her great-uncle will close for good on June 1.

“I am getting older and so is Whitelaw,” she said. “It’s time to cut back a little.”

Sledge Hardware, located at 1205 Main St., is believed to be one of the oldest retailers in Hale County that is still owned by members of the founding family.

Anne Bailey said her great-uncle, Garland Sledge, opened the store around 1915 down the street, where New Creation — Car Audio and Stuff is now located.

Garland Sledge initially sold hardware, groceries and furniture, she said. But when the Great Depression hit, he downsized and moved to the current location, stopped selling groceries and furniture and concentrated on being just a hardware store.

Garland Sledge died in 1942 and his brother, Edward Sledge, became the store’s owner. Edward Sledge, who was Anne Bailey’s grandfather, died in 1949. The store’s ownership then reverted to Anne Bailey’s grandmother, father and aunt.

They named Edgar Tolbert, who started working at the store in 1942, as the store’s manager, Anne Bailey said. He worked for the business for almost 50 years before retiring.

The Baileys bought the hardware store in October 1991 from Anne Bailey’s father, aunt and Tolbert, who had become a part owner of the business.

In recalling the store’s history, Anne Bailey recalled the night the store got burglarized. It happened less than two years after the Baileys took over the business. Burglars broke in and headed straight to an antique safe, she said.

The would-be thieves sawed off the safe’s handles in attempt to get inside. Unknown to them and the Baileys, the safe maker had installed canisters with a tear gas-like substance into the interior of safe’s doors.

The canisters exploded when the burglars sawed into the door and the would-be thieves fled with nothing, Anne Bailey said.

“We marveled that they didn’t get anything,” she said. “But I still cried plenty of tears when I went inside the next day. That tear gas was strong.”

Anne Bailey said one of the biggest changes she saw in the business was the movement away from extending credit to customers. For decades, Sledge Hardware allowed customers to buy on credit. As an accountant, she kept the store’s books and customers would pay on their accounts as they could afford it. Suppliers also extended similar credit to retailers like the hardware store, getting paid in installments.

But when the suppliers started assessing monthly service charges on unpaid balances, all that changed, she said. The store had to pay suppliers immediately and it could no longer extend credit to its customers. That hurt a lot of small retailers, she said.

Although the Baileys plan to retire, Anne Bailey said she will continue her one-person bookkeeping and tax preparation service, which she has operated out of a corner of the store.

She said a friend, who owns J&J Jewelry down the street from the hardware store has set aside an area in the jewelry store for her bookkeeping and tax service. She said she also plans to continue writing her Newbern News column for the Greensboro Watchman, a weekly newspaper.

A recent column was about the closing of Sledge Hardware. In it, Anne Bailey wrote that during the almost 100 years of the store’s existence, “many items have been pushed back into the recesses of shelves, of the basement, and of the closet under the stairs.

“Whitelaw has already uncovered many items. In the basement, Whitelaw found mirrors of varying sizes and picture frames of many sizes. He also found storm windows and screen windows.

“I assume that the mirrors had been cut for a long ago customer. I imagine that the glass had been replaced in picture frames, and the customer had forgotten to return to get it.

“Whitlaw found a huge selection of pipe dies and large older pipe fittings. He discovered three vintage, but usable hand pipe threaders.”

She ended the column by writing about the store: “The fixtures are old. The building is old. Some merchandise is old. And we are getting older too. It is time to close Sledge Hardware and to open another door to the future.”

<p>After almost a century, Sledge Hardware in downtown Greensboro is going out of business.</p><p>Anne Sledge Bailey, who owns the business with her husband Whitelaw Bailey, said the store founded by her great-uncle will close for good on June 1.</p><p>“I am getting older and so is Whitelaw,” she said. “It's time to cut back a little.”</p><p>Sledge Hardware, located at 1205 Main St., is believed to be one of the oldest retailers in Hale County that is still owned by members of the founding family.</p><p>Anne Bailey said her great-uncle, Garland Sledge, opened the store around 1915 down the street, where New Creation — Car Audio and Stuff is now located.</p><p>Garland Sledge initially sold hardware, groceries and furniture, she said. But when the Great Depression hit, he downsized and moved to the current location, stopped selling groceries and furniture and concentrated on being just a hardware store.</p><p>Garland Sledge died in 1942 and his brother, Edward Sledge, became the store's owner. Edward Sledge, who was Anne Bailey's grandfather, died in 1949. The store's ownership then reverted to Anne Bailey's grandmother, father and aunt.</p><p>They named Edgar Tolbert, who started working at the store in 1942, as the store's manager, Anne Bailey said. He worked for the business for almost 50 years before retiring. </p><p>The Baileys bought the hardware store in October 1991 from Anne Bailey's father, aunt and Tolbert, who had become a part owner of the business.</p><p>In recalling the store's history, Anne Bailey recalled the night the store got burglarized. It happened less than two years after the Baileys took over the business. Burglars broke in and headed straight to an antique safe, she said. </p><p>The would-be thieves sawed off the safe's handles in attempt to get inside. Unknown to them and the Baileys, the safe maker had installed canisters with a tear gas-like substance into the interior of safe's doors.</p><p>The canisters exploded when the burglars sawed into the door and the would-be thieves fled with nothing, Anne Bailey said.</p><p>“We marveled that they didn't get anything,” she said. “But I still cried plenty of tears when I went inside the next day. That tear gas was strong.”</p><p>Anne Bailey said one of the biggest changes she saw in the business was the movement away from extending credit to customers. For decades, Sledge Hardware allowed customers to buy on credit. As an accountant, she kept the store's books and customers would pay on their accounts as they could afford it. Suppliers also extended similar credit to retailers like the hardware store, getting paid in installments.</p><p>But when the suppliers started assessing monthly service charges on unpaid balances, all that changed, she said. The store had to pay suppliers immediately and it could no longer extend credit to its customers. That hurt a lot of small retailers, she said.</p><p>Although the Baileys plan to retire, Anne Bailey said she will continue her one-person bookkeeping and tax preparation service, which she has operated out of a corner of the store.</p><p>She said a friend, who owns J&J Jewelry down the street from the hardware store has set aside an area in the jewelry store for her bookkeeping and tax service. She said she also plans to continue writing her Newbern News column for the Greensboro Watchman, a weekly newspaper.</p><p>A recent column was about the closing of Sledge Hardware. In it, Anne Bailey wrote that during the almost 100 years of the store's existence, “many items have been pushed back into the recesses of shelves, of the basement, and of the closet under the stairs.</p><p>“Whitelaw has already uncovered many items. In the basement, Whitelaw found mirrors of varying sizes and picture frames of many sizes. He also found storm windows and screen windows.</p><p>“I assume that the mirrors had been cut for a long ago customer. I imagine that the glass had been replaced in picture frames, and the customer had forgotten to return to get it. </p><p>“Whitlaw found a huge selection of pipe dies and large older pipe fittings. He discovered three vintage, but usable hand pipe threaders.”</p><p>She ended the column by writing about the store: “The fixtures are old. The building is old. Some merchandise is old. And we are getting older too. It is time to close Sledge Hardware and to open another door to the future.”</p>